Spirit Bound (Book #5, Vampire Academy)

Summary:

"After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.
She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever."

 Since the two major story lines could have each been their own books, although short. I thought Mead did a great job writing the plot lines and combining them smoothly. The Rose and Dimitri plot line was intense as ever and as usual Mead put me through an intense emotional roller coaster. I really loved the Adrian and Rose relationship the most and all the royal and political intricacies that lead up to The Last Promise really well.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2013

Hosted By The Broke and The Bookish

1. Read 125 Books

2. Attend More Author Signings and Book Related Events

3. Attend BEA

4. Finish All My Books in my Current TBR Pile

5. Sell More of My Cafepress Merch.

6. Get 200+ Followers

7. Do More VLogs

8. Read All My B&N Leatherbound Classics

9. Finish Atlas Shrugged

10. Get Another Bookcase

Southern California Author Signings (Jan - March)

So as a blogger in Southern California, I have had trouble finding author events in my area. Here are some that I have found (hopefully it will help other So.Cal Bloggers) and I will update this as I find out more. If you know of Any, Let Me Know.
Jan.
15th - Melissa De La Cruz - Gates of Paradise (Blue Blood Series) - Barnes and Noble, Santa Monica
24th - Nicholas Sparks - Safe Haven- Barnes and Noble, The Grove LA


Feb.
10th - Brenna Yovanoff - Paper Valentine - Barnes and Noble, The Grove LA
10th - Marie Lu  - Prodigy- Barnes and Noble, The Grove LA
10th - Jess Khoury - Origin - Barnes and Noble, The Grove LA
10th - Andre Kremer - Rise - Barnes and Noble, The Grove LA
11th - Ally Carter - Pretty Scoundrels (Heist Society Series) - Barnes and Noble, The Americana Glendale

March
21st - Cassandra Clare - Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices Series) - Barnes&Noble, The Grove LA

The Very First Bite

Summary:

"The Very First Bite chronicles the toils and triumphs of Lanie Albers, who has just ten weeks to mentally and physically prepare for the ultimate day of reckoning: her high school class reunion. 
With twenty pounds of extra weight, a dead-end job and a boyfriend who won’t commit, the prospect of revisiting old classmates has Lanie reeling with panic. Not to mention the loose ends she’ll finally have to face, like Chad, her first love, for whom she suspects she might still have feelings. And Candace, her lifelong best friend, who abruptly ended their friendship seven years ago with no explanation.
By examining the ghosts of her past, Lanie begins to prepare for the revelations and confrontations of the big night. She also launches a desperate campaign to lose weight: an uproarious battle with fad diets and disastrous workouts, most of which lead her right back to the cookie jar."

The Very First Bite was the perfect book to read, before the start of a New Year.  Although, I am 23 and have yet to have a high school reunion. I get it, and I think most girls do. Cause, most of us in some way when we see people from past that we haven't seen in awhile... we want to impress them. Langston captures the wants and efforts many of us go through during this time and for the most part depicts it hilariously.

There were times where Lanie got on my nerves, I thought she was whiney, insecure and lazy. But if I was honest with myself I have at some point displayed these characteristics, for mostly the same reasons as Lanie. I also did enjoy Lanie's flashbacks to high school and understanding difficult relationships. However,  I do wish the ending was a little better. It was way too cheesy for me.

Love and Other Perishable Items

Summary:

"Love is awkward, Amelia should know.
From the moment she sets eyes on Chris, she is a goner. Lost. Sunk. Head over heels infatuated with him. It's problematic, since Chris, 21, is a sophisticated university student, while Amelia, is 15.
Amelia isn't stupid. She knows it's not gonna happen. So she plays it cool around Chris—at least, as cool as she can. Working checkout together at the local supermarket, they strike up a friendship: swapping life stories, bantering about everything from classic books to B movies, and cataloging the many injustices of growing up. As time goes on, Amelia's crush doesn't seem so one-sided anymore. But if Chris likes her back, what then? Can two people in such different places in life really be together?
Through a year of befuddling firsts—first love, first job, first party, and first hangover—debut author Laura Buzo shows how the things that break your heart can still crack you up."

I thought I had already reviewed this book, given the I finished reading it almost 2 weeks ago! But, than I remembered I waited to review this book, because it was one of those stories; that you have to let sink in once you finish it. In other words, if I reviewed this book the second I finished my review would sound like this " WORST BOOK EVER!" , "WHY!?" *AGHHH!!*  However, after a day or two of letting it sit around, the genius of this book hit me (deep down I knew it would, which almost made me hate it more).

You see, Love and Other Perishable Items is very realistic. It is being 15 and thinking that older guy is cute, and being consumed by your crush for him. It is sweet and it is SO VERY VERY awkward. And Buzo does such a great job at portraying that. So Accurately. And That Is All I Really Can Say, Without Giving Too Much Away.

I did have SOME complaints. I wish the formatting was done a tad differently, so it would be easier to follow. And Chris drove me a little crazy.. but he is 21. So, he is just being his age.

2012 Blog Wrap Up

In 2012 I have posted 190 posts 

I have read 96 books this year

Which is More Than The 60, I read Last Year and Less Than My Goal of 100 This Year. Although, I did not make my goal this year (barely!) I will raise my reading goal to 125 for 2013.

-Between Two Queens 

-The Summer We Read Gatsby 

-The Post Mistress 

-Brava, Valentine

-Someday My Prince Will Come 

-The Lucky One 

-Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 

-Unforsaken

-The Girl In The Park

-Poughkeepsie

-The Girl In The Steel Corset (Book #1, The Steampunk Chronicles)

-Anna and The French Kiss

- Lola and The Boy Next Door

-The Name of the Star (Book #1, Shades of London Series)

-Jessica's Guide To Dating on The Dark Side

-The Hunger Games (Book #1, The Hunger Games Series)

-I'm So Happy For You

-Celia and The Fairies

-The Summer My Life Began

-Flight For Control

-Skinnydipping

-Elizabeth:Struggle to the Throne

-The Book Thief

-The Paris Wife

-The Girl In The Clockwork Collar (Book #2, The Steampunk Chronicles)

-The Long Way Home

-The Fault In Our Stars

-Rash

-Will Grayson, Will Grayson 

-Red Glove (Book #2, The Curse Worker Series)

-By Invitation Only

-Uncommon Criminals (Book #2, Heist Society Series)

-City of Bones (Book #1, The Mortal Instruments Series)

-Bloodlines (Book #1, Bloodlines Series)

-The Big Crunch

-Flirting In Italian

-Breathing Underwater

-The Lover's Dictionary

-Queen of Hearts

-The Weird Sisters

-Saving June

-The Princess Diaries (Book #1, Princess Diaries Series)

-The Queen's Vow

-How To Save a Life

-The Future of Us

-Ingenue (Book #2, The Flappers Series)

-Beautiful Lies

-An Abundance of Katherines

-Only The Good Spy Young (Book #4, Gallagher Girl Series)

-Out of Sight, Out of Time (Book #5, Gallagher Girl Series)

-Diva (Book #3, The Flappers Series)

-Enchanted (Book #1, Woodcutter Series)

-Bewitching (Kendra Chronicles #2)

-Princess in the Spotlight (Princess Diaries #2)

-Princess in Love (Princess Diaries #3)

-Seraphina (Seraphina #1)

-Kissing Shakespeare

-Every Day

-City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)

-The Scrimshaw Set

-City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)

-Dearly, Beloved (Gone With The Respiration #2)

-The Enchanted Truth

-How Lucky You Are

-Easily Amused

-Princess In Waiting (Princess Diaries #4)

-Princess In Pink (Princess Diaries #5)

-Lost In Time (Blue Bloods #6)

-Sloppy Firsts (Jessica Darling Series #1)

-Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)

-The Arctic Incident (Artemis Fowl #2)

-One For The Money (Stephanie Plum Series #1)

-Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)

-Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3)

-Perfect Princess : A Princess Diaries Book

-Princess In Training (Princess Diaries #6)

-The Princess Present (Princess Diaries #6.5)

-Party Princess (Princess Diaries #7)

-Velveteen

-Second Helpings (Jessica Darling Series #2)

-Mystic City (Mystic City #1)

-Edgewood (Edgewood #1)

-Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3)

-City of the Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

-Scarlet (Scarlet #1)

-Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

-Meant To Be

-Princess of The Midnight Ball (Princess #1)

-The Friday Society

-What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love

-Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

-Love and Other Perishable Items

-Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5)

-The Very First Bite

-One Pink Line

I Have Participated in 23 In My Mailboxes 

and 
35 Top Ten Tuesdays 

And I Had 4 Book Boyfriend
-Jacob Tolan , Saving June

-Jack Dandy, The Steampunk Chronicles

-Griffin King, The Steampunk Chronicles

Logan Thibault, The Lucky One

Attended My First Bookish Events and Met Several Authors.

 AND
I Started My Own Online Store

Hello, 2013!

Woohoo!
2013.
So, a few days ago... back when it was 2012. I mentioned I was behind and this first week of 2013 was going to be a lot of catching up and a lot of 2012 rewindy like stuff. So, I honestly hope you don't mind that. 

2012 was a pretty awesome year for me. A lot happened. Which over the course of 5 months or so, made me become increasingly busier and busier and made, reading and blogging a lot harder to keep up with. 

I would Like to Say that, all that is over but the truth is 2013 is going to be a pretty HUGE year for me. Starting with big things like My MIL's Wedding (which I am helping plan), My Husband's Nana and Bumpa's 50th Anniversary Vow ReNewal (also helping plan that), My SIL's Wedding, and My Husband and I's 1 Year Anniversary Party (which obviously, I am also planning). That also isn't including the launch of My Mom and I's company and a million other smaller things (like trying to attend BEA this year)

Because of all this I am REALLY REALLY Going to try hard to stay up to date with this blog . Please Be Patient With Me,

 I Hope Everyone Had A Safe And Happy New Years. As You Are Reading This, Brandon and I are spending the 1st day of 2013 in Disneyland!